A bill grants the governor full control over the board of trustees at Indiana University. Photo by Niki Kelly, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

News Release

BLOOMINGTON — For Ken Beckley, a graduate of Indiana University and its former alumni association president, federal and state-level political efforts to reshape higher education, most prominently a high-profile clash between Harvard and the Trump administration, mirror changes occurring closer to home.

Beckley led a spring campaign opposing Indiana Gov. Mike Braun’s removal of three alumni-elected members from Indiana University’s board of trustees.

Braun, a Republican, replaced them with handpicked appointees in what Beckley and other critics have described as a challenge to the school’s independence. Efforts to reverse the governor’s decision failed.

While federal scrutiny of Harvard has drawn national attention, especially after the Trump administration froze billions in federal funding pending policy changes, similar efforts are unfolding in Republican-led states.

State officials are increasingly focused on university governance, pushing for more influence over who leads public colleges and how institutions manage curricula and facility. In Indiana, Braun defended his new trustee appointments as a course correction. Among the new trustees are a lawyer known for anti-abortion advocacy and a former ESPN host who was sanctioned after criticizing COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Separately, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has questioned the legality of diversity, equity and inclusion programs at universities across the state, including private institutions like the University of Notre Dame and Butler University.

The targeting of DEI programs and critical race theory began prior to Pres. Trump’s second term but has since escalated. State officials in Florida, Texas, Iowa, Ohio and Idaho have adopted or proposed policies reshaping faculty hiring, tenure protections and general education requirements.

In Florida, the state’s Board of Governors overruled a unanimous vote by the University of Florida’s Board of Trustees, rejecting longtime academic Santa Ono for the university presidency following conservative pushback over his prior support for DEI initiatives. The move followed sweeping changes at the New College of Florida, where a conservative overhaul prompted faculty departures and program closures.

Despite the far-reaching implications, many of the changes in public universities have not faced the kind of organized resistance seen in Harvard’s legal fight. The Ivy League institution has sued the federal government over its funding freeze and restrictions on international student visas, positioning the conflict as a test of academic independence at private colleges.

Meanwhile, in Iowa and Idaho, new restrictions on DEI policies have begun to take effect. Iowa’s board of regents is evaluating limits similar to those already enacted in Idaho, where students are no longer required to take DEI-related courses for graduation. In Ohio, recently passed legislation has eliminated public funding for DEI programs and curtailed tenure protections for faculty at public colleges and universities.

Critics warn that there are few institutional checks preventing state-appointed boards from reshaping higher education in line with political priorities. In states like Texas, new laws grant broader authority to university governing boards, including the ability to cancel degree programs and restrict student protests. Supporters of academic freedom raised alarms over these developments, viewing them as part of a broader attempt to politicize higher education and undermine university autonomy.

Across the country, faculty and students are organizing in opposition, though the scope and success of their efforts vary by state.

For students like Cameron Samuels, who began graduate studies at the University of Texas after initially gaining admission to Harvard, the political climate shaped their educational choices. Samuel, who is nonbinary, said returning to Texas was a conscious decision based on familiarity with the local environment, even amid increasing political interference.